


We're like bookends of the same soul

by myinfinitethoughts (orphan_account)



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Non-Mutant, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-08 01:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1921188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/myinfinitethoughts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles Xavier thought something was wrong with him, until he met Erik Lehnsherr.</p><p>____________</p><p>This is a soul mates AU that was based off of this tumblr post: http://mimsy-scribbles.tumblr.com/post/90614074126/so-you-all-know-that-soul-mate-au-where-people</p><p>Specifically this part of the post:</p><p>I want demisexuals and demiromantics who aren’t born with names on their wrists, but whose names appear over time during a relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're like bookends of the same soul

Everyone was born with it.

It was just a way of how things were. Everyone was born with the name of their soulmate tattooed onto them. Which was why Charles was so confused as to why he didn't _have_ a tattoo. Was he defected or something? Was this a mistake?

Charles met Erik at the university after accidentally pushing Erik into the pool and jumping in to save him. After getting out of the pool, Charles had let out a small huff of laughter and tried to catch his breath. Erik laid down next to him, trying to even out his breaths as well.

"I am so very terribly sorry," Charles said to Erik. Erik got up and scowled. Charles' eyes followed him as he began to walk away. "Wait!" Charles called out. Erik stopped and turned around, cold grey eyes meeting warm blue ones. "Perhaps I could make up for my mistake by taking you out for coffee sometime?" Charles offered. Erik's mouth was pulled into a taut line.

"My name is Erik," he told Charles flatly, blatantly ignoring Charles' offer. Charles beamed at him. "And I'm Charles," Charles replied, holding out his hand. Something in Erik's expression changed, suddenly making his emotion unreadable. He tentatively reached his hand out and took Charles' hand, firmly grasping it and shaking it.

Erik then pulled back his arm and began to walk away again. He stopped though before leaving completely. He then turned around and called back to Charles, "I'd love to."

He had slipped out too quickly before Charles could ask for details. Charles had never been happier in his life to see Erik again the next day and then meeting up with him the following Saturday for coffee.

____________

When Erik met Charles, he thought he was adorable. Not that he'd ever admit that, of course. But he couldn't help but be slightly relieved when he heard Charles' name.

And slightly ecstatic.

Erik had spent years tracing his fingers over the name inked into his wrist, wondering when he would meet this mysterious Charles. He often spent hours in his room, trying to think of how his soulmate would look like.

He had not been expecting this blue eyed, red lipped, beautiful young man at all.

Something in Erik had snapped when Charles told him his name. So Erik agreed to coffee, realizing that perhaps Charles realized that Erik was the one that was inked onto his skin. Which was why, needless to say, Erik was positively wrecked to find out that Charles didn't have a name tattooed anywhere on his body. Charles told him that he had checked all over but there was no sign of a name at all. Erik wondered if this Charles was even the right Charles afterwards.

But it was too late, because Erik was already in love and he couldn't bring himself to care.

____________

When Charles graduated from college, he felt a burn on his collarbone.

It was an odd sensation that felt like something was pricking him. It burned on for hours on end but all Charles could see in the mirror was a red splotch under his clavicle. When Charles looked into the mirror the next day, he wasn't expecting to see _this_.

A letter 'E' was carefully inked onto his pale skin.

A wave of elation and relief flooded Charles all at once. He wondered who could have the letter 'E' for a name, but it didn't matter. He was so scared the letter would go away, so he never told anyone and spent his time covering it up, protecting the name fiercely.

Charles thought he'd never been happier in all his life.

Until the burning sensation came back.

This time, the letter 'R' was on his skin next to the 'E' that had decided to put itself there. Charles became giddy, realizing that what he had now wasn't a _full_ name, only part of it. He couldn't wait to find out what the rest of the name was.

Later on that day, he met up with Erik. The two of them had been keeping in touch since their graduation from the university. Erik was now an engineer for Stark Industries and Charles was a genetics professor. Charles was tempted to tell Erik about the good news, but was once again overcome by the fear of the name disappearing. So he kept tight lipped about it during dinner.

"Charles?" Erik asked softly. "Is there something wrong? You've been acting really antsy for the past few minutes." Charles subconsciously moved his collar higher, to make sure the name wasn't to be shown.

"It's nothing," Charles assured him. "I'm just really glad to see you again." Erik chuckled and smiled at him.

"It's only been two weeks," Erik pointed out. Charles laughed as well and took a sip of his water, trying to calm his rapid pulse.

Charles set the drink down and replied, "Two weeks is too long to go without seeing your best friend."

____________

Erik had always hidden his name from Charles. Ever since the beginning, he wore long sleeves around him or he hid the name imprinted onto his wrist. At first, he waited for Charles to bring up the conversation of soul mates, but never did. Normally, when you meet someone with the same name as your tattoo, you would mention it immediately. But Charles never did, so Erik respected that.

It was when Charles told Erik that he had no name, that Erik almost told Charles about the name he had.

Almost.

He had fortunately escaped it because Charles ended up crying so Erik made himself useful and comforted Charles. The topic was never brought up since.

He had heard of people like Charles before, but the answers as to why always varied. Some say that people like that had free reign over their destiny, others say that they were born with a genetic defect. The thought of Charles being a genetic mistake, one that could possibly not even be the Charles tattooed onto Erik’s wrist, haunted him. It was too late for him now, he had already fallen for Charles, no tattoo and all.

____________

Charles almost panicked when the third letter of his soulmate’s name appeared onto this skin.

The feeling was rougher and hurt more than it had before, but when it finally appeared, Charles was surprised. A small ‘I’ was now imprinted onto his pale skin, the dark ink such a contrast. And Charles wondered how many more letters were left, or if there was only one left. But another thing that worried Charles was how _close_ the name was to one of his friends.

Charles would be lying if he said he was never attracted to Erik. Erik was just so handsome, and Charles could never really understand why he would ever think that Erik would return the feelings. Erik, after all, must have had a different name tattooed onto him. Of course, Charles never asked, but that was because they never wanted to talk about it.

Well, not until the last letter appeared on Charles’ skin.

Charles was out with Erik at the time, the two of them taking a walk on the campus that Charles worked at. Charles absent mindedly scratched at the itching sensation on his collar bone, knowing that it would be the next letter to the name. But he let out a cry of pain when it suddenly felt like a million of tiny hot knives were being pushed into his skin.

Erik stopped and put a hand on Charles’ arm. “Are you alright, Charles?” he asked, and Charles let out another cry. He grasped his shoulder, the pain starting to spread throughout his body. “Office,” Charles managed to gasp out. “Now.” Erik nodded and took Charles’ free arm and guided him back to Charles’ office.

Once inside, Erik slammed the door shut and asked Charles what was wrong. Charles ignored him though and took off his blazer. He threw it to the ground, not even caring about it anymore. He just needed to get this pain out. He then started to unbutton his oxford and-

“Wh-What are you doing?” Erik spluttered. Charles shook his head and managed to get his dress shirt off then grabbed his water bottle, frantically splashing some water on his hand and rubbing it on the spot on his neck, all to cool down the feeling. It stung a little at first, then calmed down, the stinging only a dull ache on him. He sighed and collapsed into his chair, still not facing Erik.

He froze when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up and there was Erik, looking at him with concerned eyes. “What’s gotten into you, Charles?” Erik asked. Charles stood up to face Erik. Erik’s eyes widened when he saw the black handwriting scrawled under Charles’ clavicle.

Charles looked down at it and could make out the upside down letter and let a small smile ease its way onto his lips. It was the letter ‘K.’ Charles looked back up at Erik and smiled. Erik was still shocked though, and reached his hand up to trace the name with his fingers. He then pulled up his sleeve to reveal the name ‘Charles’ imprinted on his wrist.

It was a blur after that.

Charles crashed his lips onto Erik's, hot and searching. He had waited all his life for this and finally he was getting it. He finally could live in this world knowing that there was never something wrong with him, it’s just that for him, love took time. He wrapped his arms around Erik’s neck, pulling him closer and tighter than ever. Charles felt wetness on his cheeks and never noticed that he was crying.

When they finally pulled apart for a breath, both of their eyes were red rimmed, crying tears of joy and relief. A small laugh bubbled out of Charles and he smiled at Erik, who returned the gesture. Erik’s arms slinked it’s way around Charles’ torso, keeping both of them close together. Charles panted, slightly out of breath from the kissing. “You don’t know how,” Erik said quietly.

“You don’t know h-how relieved I am. Ever since I met you, I didn’t know if it was really you or not, I just-” Charles shushed him softly, tilting his head up slightly to press a small kiss to Erik’s lips. They then stood there for a while, foreheads and bodies pressed together.

Charles hummed, “This was all worth the wait though, right darling?” Erik chuckled and nodded then kissed Charles again. It was all worth it. Every time that Erik had to restrain himself from showing Charles his tattoo, every time Erik’s heart ached at the thought of Charles not being part of his life, everything. None of that mattered and was nothing compared to the feeling of having Charles pressed up against him, none of it.

They both clutched onto each other as if afraid to lose this, afraid to lose everything. Erik moved his lips down to Charles’ jaw, making him shudder. “I think,” Charles mumbled in a daze. “I think you’re wearing too much clothes.” Erik laughed against Charles’ neck, the sound sending chills down Charles’ spine.

“Then help me with that problem, will you?” Erik asked playfully. Charles nodded and grabbed his head to pull him up for another kiss. “I love you,” Charles breathed. Erik smiled into the kiss.

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, first off, super over used title (don't hurt me). Second of all, this is my first Cherik fic that I decided to post so no hate please?
> 
> Otherwise, hope you liked it!


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